One Day You Helped Me
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day 1333: When he was twelve years old, Mike Chang had a problem, and it was thanks to Tina Cohen-Chang that it was solved. - Chang Squared series


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 63rd cycle. Now cycle 64!_

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**"One Day You Helped Me"  
(12yo) Mike & Tina  
Chang Squared series  
_(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)_  
**

This had happened before, too many times. He didn't mean for it to happen, it just did. He would get on the bus to get to school, he'd see his friends, they would start talking, and when they got to school he would still have his backpack on him, but his lunch…

He wasn't sure, but this might have been the fifth time he forgot his lunch on the bus this month. Each time, it would get back to his parents, and they would get upset with him, or at least his father did. He called him forgetful, lost in dreams and fancies… Mike didn't want it to happen again, and he was trying not to let it, but then this morning it had.

He didn't want to tell or have anyone know. If they did, then he would find out, his father… He would rather go without than to have that happen.

He knew he was in trouble when they were still half a period away from lunch and his stomach was already starting to make noises to say it was in need of food. He was going to have to stick it out, as his punishment. Then maybe he would learn to be even more careful the next days.

When they were let out for lunch, he had gone to his locker, staying there for a few minutes. The plan was that he would still make an appearance at the cafeteria, claiming that he was too hungry and he'd eaten his lunch at his locker and on the way. It would mean sitting there with his friends while they stuffed their faces, but he didn't have a choice.

There was one boy, Billy Tavish, and every day it felt as though his mother had cooked all night in order to provide the lunch he had before him. On that day, the scent coming off his meal was enough to make Mike's mouth water. He had to get away.

He went back to his locker, resting his head against his books with a sigh. This day was going to get so much worse if he…

"Here." He looked up, finding half a sandwich being held out to him. The hand which did the holding belonged to Tina Cohen-Chang. He'd known her for as long as they'd been in school.

"I… I already ate," he tried to be courteous.

"No you didn't. Take it, really," she insisted. He was too hungry to refuse her again and he took it, eating the thing in all of twenty seconds. Tina had followed this with a juice box, which he took as well.

"How'd you know?" he asked, not sure if he could look her in the eye.

"I saw you in class. I know what it looks like when you've forgotten your lunch," she shrugged, looking back in her bag. "How do you feel about carrots?" she pulled out a small clear container and popped the cover. He reached in for a few sticks, crunching along. "Maybe you should get a bigger backpack, so there's room for your lunch in there, then you won't forget it. Or you could tie your lunch on to your backpack. Or get one of these strap things," she mimed.

"What, like a purse?" he asked, and she frowned, offering him some cookies.

"If it's what it takes so you won't forget your lunch again," she shrugged.

"I don't mean to," he insisted.

"Who even means to forget their lunch?" she laughed. She was usually so much quieter than this. He didn't know that he'd heard her speak that much at once in a while. Maybe she just felt comfortable around him?

"I know, but… Every time it happens, I see this look in my dad's eyes. It's just a lunch, it's no big deal, not to me. But to him it's like…"

"More than a lunch," Tina understood. She'd reached to her bag, tugging at one of the ribbons until it broke free. "Give me your arm," she instructed.

"What are you going to do?" he frowned. Tina wrapped the blue ribbon around his wrist, tying it so it wouldn't fall off. "What's that for?"

"Tomorrow when you get up to get off the bus, you'll put your hand on the seat in front, that hand," she nodded to the ribboned hand.

"How do you know I will?"

"You always do," she replied. "And when you see the ribbon, that'll be your reminder, to make sure you have your lunch. You'll remember this moment, and what it means, and you won't forget," she smiled.

"I don't know if I…"

"You will," she was confident.

"Do I have to keep it all the time?" Mike asked.

"Until you don't forget your lunch anymore," she put an apple in his hand and walked away.

He'd played with the edges of the ribbon all afternoon without realizing. The next morning, it was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes. His parents had asked him what it was, and he'd said it was for a project. His father hadn't looked too convinced, but he'd left it alone. Before taking his things and going to meet the bus, he'd asked his mother if he could get a bigger backpack.

When he got on the bus, he found his friends and sat with them, and the usual bus ride activities began. All of it was brought to a halt when the bus reached school, and they all got up to get out. He reached for the seat ahead of him, and his eyes landed on a streak of blue.

"My lunch…" he breathed.

"What?" Billy Tavish asked, passing him as he turned back to his seat and grabbed the bag. He looked out the window, to Tina walking off the bus herself, and he smiled to himself.

"Nothing, never mind."

He would wear that ribbon for a month before it finally snapped off his wrist one morning. That was alright, he didn't need it anymore; he hadn't forgotten his lunch since the day it had been tied to his wrist. He left the broken thing in the drawer of his nightstand.

THE END

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******A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
****In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
************always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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